Two very different books: Mother Hoodwinked: An Infertility Memoir by Anne-Marie Scully and Cracking Up: A Postpartum Faith Crisis by Kimberlee Conway Ireton

I read these two books within weeks of each other. Mother Hoodwinked (already reviewed on this blog, so this was a re-read) is written by a woman who desperately wants a child and has difficulties with fertility. She is heartbroken and shares her struggles and the emotional and physical roller coaster of receiving fertility treatments. I like the author's voice and honesty.

Cracking Up is written by a woman with two children. She is ready to focus on her writing when she finds out that she is pregnant with twins. She complains quite a bit about how physically uncomfortable she is during her pregnancy and about the sleep deprivation after the boys are born. The most meaty part of the book is the last quarter as she describes her post-partum depression and her decision to seek out medical treatment to stabilize her body. The author of Cracking Up was more difficult for me to like, but I liked her more toward the end of the book.

Two different problems (infertility vs. unwanted children) both leading to depression and despair and struggle. There are all kinds of struggles in life.

As I read Cracking Up after Mother Hoodwinked, I imagined more than once what would happen if these two authors sat down for a cup of coffee and shared their experiences. I wonder how they would relate and if they could be friends.